#72 March 2008

PREVIOUSLY IN ALPHA FLIGHT: A new menace has targeted Walter Langkowski and his comrades in Alpha Flight. His name is Daniel Mason and he is a gangster who has ties to the Yakuza. He has sent his emissary, Loretta Shannon, to spy on Alpha Flight’s computer files.

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That night, Walter Langkowski washed his clothes in the laundry in his apartment’s basement. He had to do it himself so that no one would suspect that he was really a super hero. It would behoove him if anyone found out his secret identity. He spent hours doing his laundry and he was lucky that it was empty that late at night.

When he was done he placed his laundry in a laundry bag and walked back upstairs to his apartment that he shared with his wife, Jeanne-Marie. He opened the door to his apartment and saw Jeanne-Marie lounging on the couch, watching the late night news. His face was featured in the upper right hand corner. If she took the news item away from him, then that wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe she had her uses after all.

“Sit down, Walt honey,” Jeanne-Marie cooed. She patted the seat next to her. “I’ll shut the tee-vee so that we can talk.” She muted the set.
Walter threw the laundry bag on the floor and plopped down next to his wifey. She didn’t smile. She was not in the mood for his usual humor. “What’s up, babe?”

“You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend,” she said. “Who is she?”

“Don’t worry about it, babe. She's just a fling. The same way that you flirt with the other male members of the team, like Windhsear and Manikin, even though he's married to Persuasion. So don’t fret, pet.”

“What are you going to do now?” she asked.

“First I'm going to bed. Then, in the morning, I am going to work to see how my new nurse is on the second day. You are going to surf the net and see what you can find out about this new crime boss.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

Walter stood up. “I’m going to bed. Shut everything off when you’re ready.”

Soon, Jeanne-Marie was all alone. She unmuted the television. “Who are you, Loretta?” she whispered.

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Loretta Shannon stood at the entrance of Daniel Mason’s penthouse apartment, wondering if she would have the guts to enter and make her next report. She waited there for minutes on end, tossing back and forth the consequences that would happen if she did or did not enter. And then, she was forced to enter. Roger, the gardener, was trimming the bushes and saw that she was staring at the door, not sure if she knew that it was open.

“It’s open, y’know,” he said, in between trims.

“That’s not why I’m hesitating, Rog,” she said. “It’s what will happen to me on the other side if I open it.”

Roger frowned. “Someone didn’t have their coffee this morning.”

“You’re right. I should go in. What’s the worse that could happen? Only that I could be late for work.”

“Just go in. He only kills those who have a failure to report.”

Realizing that he is right, Loretta opens the door and walks into the penthouse. There is a long hallway she remembers and then she sees the staircase. But waiting for her at the stairs is Jeeves, the butler and man servant.

“You may go up stairs, ma’am,” he says in that droll English accent. “He is waiting for you.”

“Thank you, Jeeves.”

Ignoring him, she walks up the spiral staircase and when she arrives enters Daniel’s office. The door is slightly ajar. He is at his desk, shuffling through his work papers. He doesn’t look up when she walks inside.

“I have my first report, Mr. Mason.” She slyly says.

Daniel bolts upright. “What did you learn?”

She pauses and knowing that he hates long pauses, she continues. “I snooped around Langkowski’s desk I found some news paper clippings of the vigilante, so either they work together or he has been spying on the vigilante the same way we are. Also, every person that the vigilante has beat up has ended up at St. Vincent’s and under the care of Dr. Langkowski. Coincidence, I think not.”

“Does he have a secretary?” he asks.

“Yes, one Laren Logan. He seems to be sweet on her. I think he’s cheating on his wife Jeanne-Marie with this Laren chick. Don’t know if the wifey knows yet.”

“Check out this Laren babe. See what she knows about the coincidences in Langkowski. Do me proud.”

“Will do, boss man.”

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Monday morning was another day at work. Since he gave Loretta Shannon a key to the scientist’s office on her first day of work, Langkowski didn’t have to wake up so early that he had to be the first one to be there. Jeanne-Marie was still asleep when he got up, got dressed, and went to work. He carried his leather uniform in his briefcase so that if he heard any police reports or if his wife called him for any emergencies around town, he would be ready to change into his super hero guise.

As he walked into the scientist’s office, he said hello and good morning to his fellow associates, especially Ms. Shannon who was already there, waiting for him and the rest of the scientists to arrive for a complete day of work.

No patients had arrived yet. He asked Laren Logan if he had any patients and she said that no one until ten or eleven. Loretta noticed something strange. Laren had followed Walter into his office and the scientist had closed the door behind them.

With the door locked behind them, Laren made a confession. “I don’t know how long we go on seeing each other like this. Your wife is bound to find out sooner or later. And I don’t know if my ethical and moral manner will allow me to precede with this.”

Walter brought Laren closer to him in a lover’s embrace. “I promise you I’ll think of something. But until the meantime, don’t breathe a word of this to Loretta. She could get suspicious. Now, go back to work.”

“I love you. But I just don’t know about this.”

Laren kissed him for long moments. He was convinced that she really did love him and was torn over this relationship. She opened the door, met eyes with Loretta, and went back to her desk. She was sure that Loretta suspected something was up. But as long as Walter wasn’t worried about it, then her fears weren’t warranted.

When he was alone again, Walter shut the door closed. He turned on the radio and heard a news report that the Yakuza had escaped from capture again. He had to follow them. And why did he and his gang decide to attack him now?

He took his cell phone and called Jeanne-Marie. “Did you hear the news report just now?”

“Yes, I did. Can you get out of the office to find out?”

“I’ll find a way. Langkowski out.”

But first he had to contact the reast of Alpha Flight. Walter had changed into Sasquatch, his orange fur bursting out of his skin, and jumpe out the window, climbing down the side of the building like King Kong. He vaulted from building to building until he made it across town to the pier.

Aurora had changed into her sexy tight costume and soared to the warehouse. Alpha Flight arrived soon afterwards. Luckily it was still light out, so Ben Tucker was able to let the sunlight into his watch to transform into Solarman. Guardian and Vindicator had charged up their gauntlets with electromagnetic and geothermal energies respectively. Puck had wanted nothing less than a fight so he clenched his fists, ready to kick some major butt.

”Sas, I hate to tell you but that woman who has been helping you out at the office is nothing more than a plant. She works for Daniel Mason, one of the biggest crimelords in Canada. And Mason works for Shadowhunter and the Yakuza. Now, they work together and while you were fooling around, Ms. Loretta Shannon was using the Alphanex computers to find out all she can about us. You let us be compromised. That is something that cannot be forgiven or forgotten.”

“What do you want me to say, Guardian?” Sasquatch said. “I messed up. How was I supposed to know what she wanted from me?"

“You’re married. You’re supposed to be devoted to your wife and have some sense of pride and honor to her!”

Anger overcoming him, Sasquatch raised his fists high above his head, ready to pummel Guardian with them. James Macdonald Hudson retaliated by launching an EM field through his own body and short-circuiting Sasquatch into unconsciousness.

“Now, we can do this,” Guardian said, his anger subsiding.

Hearing the noise, the Yakuza members and the gang took out their pistols and firearms and rifles and fired them at Alpha flight. Vindicator tried with all of her might to use her geothermal energies to melt not only the bullets but the barrels as well.

Guardian extended his forcefield around Alpha Flight and the remainder of the bullets became imbedded in the hearts and lungs of the gang members. Those that were hurt fell dead, those that weren’t gave up when the constabulary arrived to arrest them.

The discharge from Guardian’s EM blast had at first knocked out Sasquatch but since then, had forced him to transform back into his human form. Aurora handed him his glasses. Walter put them on, after cleaning them, and saw that he wasn’t really needed and that the battle was over.

Walter, dressed in his white underwear, approached Dan Thompson of the RCMP, who was embracing Narya, Snowbird, his girlfriend. “What’s going to happen to Shadowhunter, Daniel Mason, and Loretta Shannon now that it’s all over?”

Dan cleared his throat, after he released some puffs of his spent cigarette, expelling the smoke into both Narya’s and Walter’s face. “Shadowhunter will be taken to Japan to Clan Harada. They will dispense their brand of justice to him and expunge the shame he has brought to the house. Daniel Mason and Loretta Shannon will spend the remainder of their young lives in a Canadian prison. Where they belong.”

Dan put a callused hand around Walter’s shoulder. “What about you? Are you going to be all right with all this?”

”Yes, I think so. I really made a mess of my marriage and the team. I doubt that they will ever forgive me.”

“Oh, Walter, I forgive you. To err is human. But then, what do I know? I’m a demigoddess.” Narya gave Walter a big hug and he felt her warm body through her costume.

Aurora approached Walter. “I hope I can trust you, Snowbird, that you won’t be the other woman.” She said this with a smile. To let everyone know that she was just joking.

Walter instinctively let Narya go and embraced Aurora. “I love you, Aurora. You know that I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you. We’ve been dating since forever. And I don’t want to jeopardize that and our marriage.”

Aurora slipped into her Jeanne-Marie persona and gave him a coy and shy smile. Then, they kissed passionately. While they kissed and embraced, they were flying, Aurora carrying her husband in the air and soaring to the rest of the group.
 

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TO BE CONTINUED...

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